I used to put this list together on the old Horror Drive-in forums, but haven’t done one in a couple of years.
Favorite short stories read in 2025. All first time reads; no rereads included.
‘The Empty Picture Frame’ by Louisa Baldwin, October Shadows
‘Chickamauga’ by Ambrose Bierce, A Little Blue Book of Civil War Horror
’Running Wolf’ by Algernon Blackwood, A Little Black Book of Bedevilment
’Warning Wings’ by Arlton Eadie in The Mad Butterfly’s Ball ed. by Preston Grossman & Chris Kelso
’Brother’s Keeper’ by Brian Evenson, chapbook, Rapture Press
’Only Children’ by Gemma Files in Enter Boogeyman ed. by Alessandro Manzetti
‘Bright Light City’ by Meg Gardiner in End of the World as We Know It ed. by Christopher Golden & Brian Keene
‘Wintry Blue’ by Christopher Golden & Tim Lebbon in The Darkest Night ed. by Lyndy Ryan
’The Lady with the Velvet Collar’ by Washington Irving in The Vampyre & Other Macabre Stories
’Carved in Salt’ by Tyler Jones, chapbook, Rapture Press
‘Make Your Own Way’ by Alma Katsu in EOTWAWKI ed. by Golden & Keene
‘Midnight in the Southland’ by Todd Keisling, Cold, Black, and Infinite
’The Gods of Our Fathers’
‘Solve for X’
’Holes in the Fabric’
’Kovach’s Last Case’ by Michael Koryta in EOTWAWKI ed. by Golden & Keene
‘Gross Anatomy’ by Aimee LaBrie in A Darker Shade of Noir ed. by Joyce Carol Oates
’And the Whole of Reality Shall Crash Upon Me’ by Curtis Lawson in Black Seas of Infinity ed. by William Holloway
‘Grace’ by Tim Lebbon in EOTWAWKI ed. by Golden & Keene
’The Man Who Sits in His Chair’ by Kevin Lucia in We All Go Into the Dark
’In the Court of the Spider King’
’He’s a Righteous Man’ by Ronald Malfi in EOTWAWKI ed. by Golden and Keene
’The Tenants of Ladywell Manor’ by William Meikle in Home From the Sea
’Eejele’ by Nuzo Onoh in The Mad Butterfly’s Ball ed. by Preston Grassman & Chris Kelso
’The People in the Glass’ by Tony Richards in Grendel and Other Creatures From the Dark
’Threads of Epiphany’ by Sara Tantlinger in The Darkest Night ed. by Lyndy Ryan
’Lockdown’ by Bev Vincent in EOTWAWKI ed. by Golden & Keene
‘Empire of the Ants’ by H. G. Wells in The Mad Butterfly’s Ball ed. by Grossman & Kelso
’The Body of Leonora James’ by Stephanie Wytovich in The Darkest Night ed. by Lyndy Ryan
’Keep the Devil Down’ by Rio Youers in EOTWAWKI ed. Golden and Keene
B
Favorite short stories read in 2025. All first time reads; no rereads included.
‘The Empty Picture Frame’ by Louisa Baldwin, October Shadows
‘Chickamauga’ by Ambrose Bierce, A Little Blue Book of Civil War Horror
’Running Wolf’ by Algernon Blackwood, A Little Black Book of Bedevilment
’Warning Wings’ by Arlton Eadie in The Mad Butterfly’s Ball ed. by Preston Grossman & Chris Kelso
’Brother’s Keeper’ by Brian Evenson, chapbook, Rapture Press
’Only Children’ by Gemma Files in Enter Boogeyman ed. by Alessandro Manzetti
‘Bright Light City’ by Meg Gardiner in End of the World as We Know It ed. by Christopher Golden & Brian Keene
‘Wintry Blue’ by Christopher Golden & Tim Lebbon in The Darkest Night ed. by Lyndy Ryan
’The Lady with the Velvet Collar’ by Washington Irving in The Vampyre & Other Macabre Stories
’Carved in Salt’ by Tyler Jones, chapbook, Rapture Press
‘Make Your Own Way’ by Alma Katsu in EOTWAWKI ed. by Golden & Keene
‘Midnight in the Southland’ by Todd Keisling, Cold, Black, and Infinite
’The Gods of Our Fathers’
‘Solve for X’
’Holes in the Fabric’
’Kovach’s Last Case’ by Michael Koryta in EOTWAWKI ed. by Golden & Keene
‘Gross Anatomy’ by Aimee LaBrie in A Darker Shade of Noir ed. by Joyce Carol Oates
’And the Whole of Reality Shall Crash Upon Me’ by Curtis Lawson in Black Seas of Infinity ed. by William Holloway
‘Grace’ by Tim Lebbon in EOTWAWKI ed. by Golden & Keene
’The Man Who Sits in His Chair’ by Kevin Lucia in We All Go Into the Dark
’In the Court of the Spider King’
’He’s a Righteous Man’ by Ronald Malfi in EOTWAWKI ed. by Golden and Keene
’The Tenants of Ladywell Manor’ by William Meikle in Home From the Sea
’Eejele’ by Nuzo Onoh in The Mad Butterfly’s Ball ed. by Preston Grassman & Chris Kelso
’The People in the Glass’ by Tony Richards in Grendel and Other Creatures From the Dark
’Threads of Epiphany’ by Sara Tantlinger in The Darkest Night ed. by Lyndy Ryan
’Lockdown’ by Bev Vincent in EOTWAWKI ed. by Golden & Keene
‘Empire of the Ants’ by H. G. Wells in The Mad Butterfly’s Ball ed. by Grossman & Kelso
’The Body of Leonora James’ by Stephanie Wytovich in The Darkest Night ed. by Lyndy Ryan
’Keep the Devil Down’ by Rio Youers in EOTWAWKI ed. Golden and Keene
B